Player Notes

What did the Commanders’ 34-31 overtime loss to the Eagles do?It changed the conversation about this team, from gloomy to gritty. It may have finally given some meaning to the incessant “opportunities” that coach Ron Rivera talks about. It restored some credibility to their young quarterback, Sam Howell. That’s quite a lot to have accomplished in a loss.Yes, they lost, but not all losses are the same. ...

The Giants protected their own NFL record for offensive line futility better than they protected Daniel Jones.The decade-long struggle to build an offensive line might have bottomed out Monday, when the Giants allowed 11 sacks in a 24-3 loss to the Seahawks.It got so bad that even wide receivers were taking sacks, as Jones was spared one of the 11 when Parris Campbell was dropped for an 8-yard loss ...

New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen said Monday that he has no plans to make changes to his coaching staff after Sunday's 26-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.Offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael has faced increasing criticism for an offense that has failed to live up to expectations, but Allen indicated Monday that his job is safe for now."We won’t make any coaching changes," Allen told the media ...

No undrafted NFL defender has played more for his team this season than Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr.His 25 tackles, including five in Sunday's win against the Panthers, are tied for second among all rookies, whether drafted in the first round or signed after all 259 selections were made.And while Pace typically averages more tackles than words to reporters in a given week, he put a fine point on ...

GREEN BAY – Two years ago, in the first start of his young career, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love was the target of relentless blitzing from the Kansas City Chiefs and there wasn’t much he could do about it.The coaches hadn’t prepared for that kind of onslaught and Love was a sitting duck. The Chiefs either sacked, hit or pressured him on 14 of the 39 times he dropped back to pass in a 13-7 ...

Matt Eberflus is 3-18 in two seasons as the Bears’ head coach, including 0-4 this season.As Matt Eberflus is finding out, there are some things Frank Reich can’t teach you in NFL head-coaching school.Eberflus’ old-school sensibilities are failing him four weeks into his second season as the Bears’ head coach. Revealing as little information as possible and grinding your way out of on-field football ...

ATLANTA — The Falcons have scored six and seven points in their last two games. The Braves have scored more than seven runs in 41 games this season. I’m not sure if this suggests Desmond Ridder’s relative football “WAR” merely is something to be desired or that the Falcons should consider luring Ronald Acuña Jr. to play quarterback, but one thing seems certain: Something has to change with Atlanta’s ...

RB James ConnerHeight: 6-1. Weight: 232.Hometown: Erie, PennsylvaniaPro/college experience: Seventh NFL season (third-round pick of the Steelers in 2017). Four-year college career at Pittsburgh, where he finished with 3,733 career rushing yards and 52 rushing touchdowns.2023 and career: Had his second 100-yard rushing game with the Cardinals in Week 2 during a 31-28 loss to the visiting Giants. Entering ...

Shedeur Sanders led a 98-yard touchdown drive to send ESPN’s fifth-most watched college football game of all-time into overtime on Saturday night.Then, he threw the game-winning touchdown pass in double overtime, leading Colorado past rival Colorado State for a 43-35 win.Sanders called the performance “Brady mode.” As in, Tom Brady mode.Brady has mentored Sanders for years. He also signed Sanders to ...

The XFL and USFL are in advanced talks to merge operations, according to Axios.According to the report, the leagues look to combine before the 2024 season.NFL alternative leagues have a history of failure, and a merger could be the best bet for both leagues to find success in spring football ratings.The XFL was purchased in 2020 by an ownership group that includes Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. USFL is ...